Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Platform: The Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee for One Health (IMSCOH) and One Health Secretariat was founded in 2016.

Stakeholders: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock; Ministry of Environment and Forest

In 2008, a “community of practice” called One Health Bangladesh mobilized various stakeholders, including relevant government ministries, to develop a Strategic Framework on One Health to combat threats of emerging and re-emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases. No formal government platform was established, however, until P&R’s involvement in 2016. P&R played a critical role throughout 2016 in working with stakeholders on the terms of reference for IMSCOH and the One Health Secretariat, now housed in the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research (IEDCR). In March 2017, the Government of Bangladesh, with support from P&R, convened the first meeting of the Steering Committee, officially beginning operations of the new One Health platform. P&R also facilitated a series of resource mobilization meetings with government stakeholders and development partners leading to inclusion of a specific line item for the OH Secretariat in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s new five-year budget. The platform’s current focus is on updating its One Health Strategic Framework and Action Plan, undergoing capacity building for the Secretariat, and holding a disease prioritization exercise jointly supported by P&R and the CDC.

P&R Experts

Dr. Abul Kalam

One Health Technical Advisor, Bangladesh

Dr. Abul Kalam, P&R’s National One Health Technical Advisor in Bangladesh, joins the project after working with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as both the Bangladesh national project coordinator and an animal health officer. Prior to his work with FAO, Abul served as the head of the Epidemiology Unit for the Department of Livestock Services in Bangladesh. He holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine and a master’s in veterinary science from Bangladesh Agricultural University.